Some Say Six

We heard the verdict over broken waves A name crossed out in military ink But names don't die when mouths remember They rise wherever soldiers drink A widow swore by a refugee moon A gunner swore by the burning rain Every town kept a different ending Every scar kept the same old name They said the helmet slept in Reach's grass They said the records sealed the grave But a file can close, and a fire can pass And still leave sparks no world can tame No one can prove it No one can kill it Pass it along when the night gets still Some say Six still walks Some say Six came home Some say Six turns losing fights Into the road back from the smoke Some say dust, some say dawn Some say, "I saw that visor shine" We don't need the truth to know Noble never dies Some say Six Some say Six Noble never dies A salvage crew on Reach at dawn Saw a visor catch the ruined sun Then Covenant colors broke and scattered Long before a shot was fired or won They swear no raider trusts that silence No dropship drifts through that red dust Not while a shadow guards the ashes Not while that ghost remembers us Maybe just static Maybe old fear Maybe a Spartan never left here Some say Six still walks Some say Six came home Some say Six turns losing fights Into the road back from the smoke Some say dust, some say dawn Some say, "I saw that visor shine" We don't need the truth to know Noble never dies Some say a trainer with quiet hands Runs recruits till their hearts turn steel Twenty-two once, with a war on the shoulders Still teaching kids how not to kneel A borrowed surname on a mailbox Small voices laughing past the door Dinner warm and rifle hidden Peace defended like a war No one asks questions No one says why Some scars salute when the stranger walks by Some say Six still walks Some say Six came home Some say Six turns losing fights Into the road back from the smoke Some say dust, some say dawn Some say, "I saw that visor shine" We don't need the truth to know Noble never dies I heard it first from a corporal dying Pinned down under a burning sky Ammo dry, whole squad silent Covenant closing like the tide Then up on the ridge: one black silhouette No banner raised, no battle cry Only the shape that made them remember Only the fear in a Zealot's eyes Maybe Jun's rifle cracked the thunder Maybe Six answered from the smoke Maybe two ghosts cut the valley open Maybe that's just how soldiers hope Legend is not a lie we tell It's a fire we refuse to lose When command writes "fallen" on paper The people write "still moving through" Put Six in the dust, Six becomes a road Put Six in the dark, Six becomes a star Put Six in the grave, Six becomes a story And stories carry us this far Some say Six still walks Some say Six came home Some say Six turns losing fights Into the road back from the smoke Some say dust, some say dawn Some say, "I saw that visor shine" We don't need the truth to know Noble never dies Some say Six Some say Six On Reach, in war, in a child's eyes Some say Six Some say Six Noble never dies